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Mike Greenberg Revealed One Way Patrick Mahomes Can Become 'Next Michael Jordan'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 9:29 AM ET

Patrick Mahomes can embellish his already legendary legacy on Sunday.

In his seventh season as a starting quarterback, Mahomes leads the Kansas City Chiefs to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game. They can make their fifth Super Bowl of the last six years by defeating the Buffalo Bills.

Even at age 29, Mahomes would be a sure-fire Hall of Famer if he retired today. Yet Mike Greenberg said the Chiefs star can place himself among the true top tier of iconic athletes.

"Patrick Mahomes is playing to become the Michael Jordan of this era," Greenberg said of Wednesday's Get Up. "When did Michael Jordan become Michael Jordan? When he three-peated."

Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to two sets of three straight NBA championships in 1991-93 and 1996-98. While ESPN's airwaves have spent considerable time arguing between him and LeBron James, many will forever consider Jordan the greatest of all time.

As Greenberg noted, no NBA team had three-peated before Jordan's Bulls since the Boston Celtics won eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. However, no NFL team has ever accomplished the rarefied feat.

To take a step closer to immortality, Mahomes and Co. must defeat a familiar foe. The Chiefs can eliminate the Bills from the fourth postseason in the last five years.

Some would consider Mahomes vs. Allen one of football's top rivalries, but not Greenberg.

The ESPN host argued that Jordan had no true rival because his competitors never got the upper hand. For now, he sees Josh Allen filling the role of a Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, or Charles Barkley until the Bills best the Chiefs in the playoffs.

"It's not a rivalry, it's a relationship until both sides have won," Greenberg claimed. "Right now, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have a relationship. Until he beats him, it is not a rivalry."

By winning another Lombardi Trophy, Mahomes would tie Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for the second-most Super Bowl wins of any quarterback (four). Some fans may forever consider Mahomes the LeBron to Tom Brady's Jordan unless he reaches seven rings, but the Chiefs would strengthen their dynasty with another title.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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